Heart Beats In Her
by Odine
Summary: Draw Near, Ye Wavering Forms, Still My Heart Doth This Strange Illusion Prize...
1. Default Chapter

Heart Beats In Her

By Odine

Dedicated to W. Von Goethe   
  
  
  
  
  


Aftermath:

As You Know, Squaresoft Left Us In The Dark As To What Happened At The End Of Final Fantasy Seven. Well, Okay = We Know Red XIII Has Lots Of Kids And Vine-Encrusted Midgar Is An Excellent Place To Hunt Doves. But Thats Centuries Later! What Happened To Cloud? Tifa? Barret, Cid, Vincent, Yuffie, Cait Sith, And (yes,) Aeris?  
  


Allow Odine To Shed Some Light...  
  


This Story Takes Place Only A Year After The Arrival Of Meteor. Holy And Lifestream Were Able To Neutralize The Threat But The Planet's Energy Is Near Depletion And Holy Has Unforeseenly Left A Harmful Bi-Product; Cloud, Marlene, And Aeris's Adopted Mother Are The Only Ones Reported To Be Affected By This, And Cloud Suffers By Far Worse Than The Other Two. Although The Symptoms Are Not Widespread, They Are Horrifying. Cloud Can No Longer See Or Hear; Despite Medication, He Also Has Paralyzing Seizures And Hallucinations. The Other Two Are Gradually Losing Their Sight And Hearing, But The Effects Are Minimal In Comparison, And They Are Able To Continue A Fairly Normal Life. 

Cloud Has Been Bedridden At His Old Home In Nibelheim, Where Tifa Has Taken It On Herself To Watch Over Him. Fixed On The Idea Of A Recovery, She Stays By His Side.

The Team Has All But Dissolved, Everyone Has His Own Concerns Now...  
  


Continue Reading If I Have Your Interest. If Not, You're Probably Already Gone, So I Feel Sorry For You.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  


Ch. 1: Lonely Vigil

Tifa Groped For The Medicine And Wiped Away New Tears With The Side Of Her Hand. An Expression Of Terrified Compassion Was Sketched On Her Face, Pale And Perspiring.

The Attacks Were Never This Long, Never This Violent.

Cloud Lay The Bed Trembling Wildly, His Breaths Coming In Rapid, Detached Gasps. Now And Then He Would Attempt Speech, But The Words Were Horribly Disfigured By The Uncontrollable Shivering. Tifa Drew Out A Syringe, Dipped It In The Antidote And Filled It. Hands Fumbling, She Then Placed The Bottle On The Windowsill And Held The Needle Against Cloud's Arm. Hastily, She Injected It And Prayed Aloud That It Would Take Effect Quickly.

She Took The Medicine And Was About To Put It Back, When Cloud Abruptly Lurched Upwards And Raised His Hands To His Throat. 

"He-r-r He-hhr!-''

His Voice Was Smothered By The Bloody Gobbet Of Bile Which Spurted From His Lips. 

Tifa Screamed, Braced Herself Against The Wall With One Arm. Instinct Urged Her Forward, But Her Knees Buckled; Her Joints Gave Way. And She Slid Down Against The Wall, The Medicine Tumbling Out Of Her Hands. Sobbing Numbly, She Watched As It Clattered To The Floor And Spilled Its Contents.

And Then She Lost Consciousness.  
  


Aeris. 

Is That Aeris? 

She Is Holding Something... What? 

Questions. 

Who?/What?/Why? 

Cloud... He Needs My Help.

Get Up.

Aeris... She Is Holding Something... 

What? 

My Neck... Hurts.

Get Up!  
  
"Mmnh..." 

A Soft Groan... My Voice?  


Cloud Needs My Help. 

Get Up!  


Again She Opened Her Eyes, Slowly Now. Fragments Of Reality Were Puzzling Themselves Back Together Again. All At Once She Was Alerted To The Full Spectrum Of Her Bodily Sensations; 

Her Temples Were Red Hot....  
Pulse Quickening....Muscles Tense....

"Ohh!" An Indrawn Gasp.

Tifa Surged To Her Feet, Nearly Fainting Again From The Sudden Rise In Blood Pressure. She Stumbled Forward As A Wash Of Dizzying Spots Smeared Her Vision. One Knee Struck The Side Of The Bed.

The Bed... Cloud Is In The Bed!

The Spots Dissipated, As If A Curtain Lifted To The Scene Of A Horrific Play. Her Vision Cleared.

"Cloud!"  
  
  
  
  
Having Fun, Huh? Chapter Two Coming Soon!  
  



	2. Chapter 2 Moonlight

**Ch. 2: Moonlight **

  
  


Cloud Lay On One Side Of The Bed, His Clothes And Exposed Skin Strewn With Congealing Vomit, Blood-Reddened Saliva Bubbling At One Corner Of Twitching Lips. His Head Was Thrust Back At A Sharp Angle From His Neck, Where His Hands Remained Wrapped Around His Throat. 

Still Trembling, But... Asleep.

  
  


Running Over To The Faucet, Tifa Wetted A Cloth And Returned To The Bedside To Clean Up. 

She Swabbed Away The Crimson Speckles And Lifted The Stained Bedding Off Of Him, Put The Sheets In The Sink To Rinse. She Picked Up The Medicine, Set It Back On The Windowsill, Then Untangled His Fingers, Laying The Gloved Hands Down At The Sides Of His Hips. 

...Hands That Were Cold, Shivering. She Realized That He Needed Another Blanket. 

Cursing Herself For Being Shortsighted, She Draped Him In Her Robe And Started A Fire.

'I Could Run Over To My House And Get One,' She Thought, '...But, Should I Leave Him Alone After That?'

Walking Over To The Counter, She Fingered Her Keys, Then Drew Back Her Hand In Second Thought, Bit Her Lip. Looking Over her Shoulder, However, She Knew Cloud Would Need Blankets For Tonight, And Thought It Better To Stop Debating The Subject And Leave Now.

She Took One Last, Worrying Look At Him And Hurriedly Slipped Through The Door, Locking It On The Way Out.

  
  


The Night Air Felt Icy On Sweat-Glazed Skin. A Shiver Crawled Up Tifa's Spine And Slithered Out The Pricked Hairs On Her Neck. Hastily, She Made Her Way Up The Path To Her House, Palmed Her Housekey And Inserted It Into The Lock At The Door. The Oak Creaked Open And Left Her Staring Into The Dark Of Her Front Room. She Ripped The Key From The Lock And Felt Her Way To The Stairs. Jogging Up The Squeaking Slats And Into Her Room, She Gathered Her Quilt And Bundled It Over One Shoulder. 

_A Bad Feeling Burned In Her Mind._

She Staggered Awkwardly Back Into the Hall...

_--Something Was Wrong-- _...Jogged To The Top Of the Stairs. Her Breath Came Faster... Cloud Needed Her Now. Her Pace Increased.

...Then, Unwary In the Dark, She Caught A Piece Of The Quilt Under Her Right Heel, Fell Forward Down The Stairs, Her Legs Hinging At The Knee And Sending Her Headfirst To The Bottom. Shock Alone Nullified The Immediate Feeling Of Wood Striking Against Her Jawbone, Dulled The Sound Of A Sickening Crack As Her Shoulder Dislodged. Her Elbow Shot Out And Ground Sideways Against The Floor, Bringing Her Body To A Halt At The Foot Of The Stairs.

---She Lay There For only A Moment, Before Adrenaline Stood Her Up Again. Pausing Only To Recover Her Blanket, She Ran From The House, Blanket Trailing Behind Her.

  
  
  
  


It Was Only Outside The Door, Bloodcurdling Screams in Her Ear, that She Realized She Had Dropped Her Keys.

  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3: Heart Beats In Her

**Ch.**** 3- Heart Beats In Her**

An Onrush Of Staggering Chaos Flooded Through Tifa's Awareness. Frantic As Her Mind Was, Her Body Remained Again Insistently Calm, Judgment Petrified By The Clash Of Turbulent Thoughts. She Could Only Half-Listen To The Gargled Shouts Of Agony Which Came Muffled Through The Door. 

Vague Thoughts Surfaced, Questions.

_Who Did This To You, Cloud?_

_Who Do I Blame?_

Slivers Dug Into Her Bare Shoulders As She Slid Up To A Standing Position, Arched Her Spine And Let Her Head Fall Back Against The Door. Syrupy Perspiration Plastered Dark Brown Hair On Her Face. Sweeping The Mess Of Bangs Out Of Her Vision, She Focused Dazedly On A Foggy Smudge Of Brown Somewhere In Front Of Her. She Stared Until It Took Shape, That Of A Large Brown Platform.

_The Nibelheim Well, _She Remembered.

A Bland Smile Traced Her Cut Lips. She Gazed At It Torpidly, Recalling The Night That They Had Sat There. 

_The Sky Was Unreal, Ethereal Cerulean And Glowing With Stars. I Had On My Best New Dress In The Prettiest Blue, Which I Had Saved Up For To Show To You. I Did My Hair Very Nice, Too. I Don't Think You Noticed, Though._

_What Was I Hoping For? _

She Stumbled Over To Its Base, Clambered Up The Side And Sat Upon The Cold, Wooden Planks. 

_You Were Going Off To Join Soldier In Midgar, You Said... You Wanted To Lead A Mercenary's Life On The Other Side Of The World. You Were Going To Leave Me Here. I Missed You Very Much, And Wondered Often About How You Were Getting Along.  _ 

_I Wondered If I Would See You Again._

She Hugged Her Legs Up To Her Chin And Rocked Back And Forth, Humming Softly. 

_We Did Meet Again, And I Was So Happy. _

_But She Came, Then..._

_The Flower Girl.___

_You Talked To Her Differently, Looked At Her In __A Special Way_.__

_You… Noticed Her._

An Image Of Aeris Floated Into Tifa's Memories, Happy And Angelic. 

Scenes Of Her Life And Death Blended Into A Collage.

_Wall Market, When I First Met Her. Tseng Kidnapped Her, You Were So Worried.  __Shrinra__Building__, In The Cells. At Kalm, She Quietly Listened To Your Story. Junon, And On The Shinra Boat. In __Costa Del Sol__, She Asked You About Getting A Suntan. In The Desert Prison, And At _Gongaga___Village_.___Cosmo__Canyon__, Where She Looked At The Materia In Childish Wonder. In My Home, Nibelheim. At _Rocket___Town__, She Said She Wanted To Fly In A Ship Someday. At The Gold Saucer. And At The __Temple__ Of The Ancients. You Saw Her Off To The Forgotten City, Were So Scared By Her Leaving._

_She …Died, And You… I Had Never Seen You Like That Before. _

_…Only For Her.     _

_She Was Special To You. _

_When She Died, A Part Of You Went With Her. Your Heart Beat Somewhere Inside Of Her. Where Is Your Heart Beating, Now?_

 "I Miss You," She Whispered Aloud.

A Bloody Tear Rolled Down Her Cheek, Fell Lightly On The Wood Beneath Her Cradled Form. 

Again, The Nebulous Impression Of Areis Holding Something Trickled Into Silhouette. This Time, Tifa's Mind Settled Into A Soothing Calm.  

Aeris Outstretched Her Arm, Unfurled Clasped Fingers And Let Loose A Luminous Shimmer Within Them. 

The Vision Dissipated, And An Almost Tangible Warmth Lifted Her Up And Encircled Every Contour Of Her Body In A Swirling Intimacy.

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Then It Left, Dissolved Into The Melting Sensation Of A Fluid Kiss Lifting Away From Her Lips. 

_The Screaming… It Stopped… _

She Fell Limply To The Planks Of The Well, Lay There Until Dawn.

When She Awoke The Next Morning, And Stared Out At The Amber Sun Swelling Over The Peaks Of Mount Nibel, She Knew Cloud Had Died During The Night. 

_He Went… To Meet Her There._

**THE END**


End file.
